Colleen and EA The Role of Women Before World War I, women were seen as home workers, but during this war, their role change. Women changed their jobs and worked in more dangerous environments or manly jobs, such as weapon factories,or hospitals, to help the people in battle. Their role is associated with total war because it is an example of how everyone was involved and had to change for the war. Since their friends, family and husbands were at the war, women wanted to do something that felt like they were supporting them. Women weren’t used to such dirty jobs, and doing something that could potentially help the war, so their importance rose also.
Woman putting on factory clothes (poster)
Women’s Thoughts:
o Lots of women enjoyed helping out in the war, and feeling important because they felt they were doing something good. Some women called it a “liberating experience” because they felt important and their work felt useful to their country. Woman knew what they were doing was important, because it was supplying supplies for the war that the soldiers couldn’t live without. Some women kept their new work outside of their home life, but others didn’t because they were proud, excited and felt significant. They wanted to do anything they could do to from their point of view to end the war quickly. Although some women thought the change was exciting, others found the transition difficult since it wasn’t planned. It could be hard to do since their husbands were ordinary men that had to fight for the war, but have not planned to be soldiers Women didn’t know what they were getting into, and that they would have to do this since they were marrying men not soldiers, and also because the jobs they were doing were very dangerous. Dangers of New Work:
o The danger of working in factories was obviously much higher than what women were used to. There were explosions that caused lots of deaths and fumes. For example absorbing TNT, a powerful explosive, through their skin turned some women yellow and hair orange and they could get very ill from it. Women were told that it wasn’t dangerous so they wouldn’t be scared. They saw for themselves that if their friends didn’t die from the fumes, they would be sick for a while, and therefore was very risky.
Examples of Important Women:
Flora Sandesstarted out as a nurse in Britain and joined the Serbian army during World War 1. In 1916 she was promoted to Sergeant Major and published a book about her experiences. In the same year she was wounded by a grenade and came back to the Serbian army but this time she was running a hospital. (Martin)
Maria Bochkareva was a soldier in the Russian Army. She convinced Russian leader Alexander Kerensky that a battalion of women shame less than enthusiastic men to join the army. About 2,000 women joined but only about 250 actually got the chance to fight. (Martin)
Mary Borden set up a mobile hospital for the British army during the war and was awarded a Croix de Guerre. (Martin)
Mabel Stobart made a hospital in Belgium that only had women working there. (Martin) Previously, women had mainly been helping out medically only as nurses and the men were the doctors So Stobart's hospital helped to accelerate women in the medical profession.
Importance to the War: During the war, women took responsibility by working in dangerous factories or hospitals that were needed for the success of the war. Even though they weren’t directly at war, the women were still very much needed. Without the woman working hard at home, the people wouldn’t have had the supplies to fight, and without their help medically, more soldiers would have died. The weapons they were making were a necessity and something that the war couldn’t have lived without. The weapons they made allowed the war to adapt and grow. Although behind the scenes, without these brave women's complete change of life, the war couldn’t have gone on and would have been completely different, and much weaker.
The First World War was also very important for women’s rights. The war gave some women like Maria Bochkareva and Mabel Stobart the opportunity to do things that women had never done before. With women helping out more and more in medicine, dangerous factory jobs, and even in battle; it slowly but surely helped to change the world's perception of women.
Who: Women What: Women changed lives and jobs changed, to work in factories that supplied the war Where: Factories in their homelands and occasionaly on the battle front When: During WWI Importance: Women supplied the war with weapons used in battle, and without these weapons the war couldn’t have gone on and adapted. Also the war was a new step in women's rights.
The Role of Women
Before World War I, women were seen as home workers, but during this war, their role change. Women changed their jobs and worked in more dangerous environments or manly jobs, such as weapon factories,or hospitals, to help the people in battle. Their role is associated with total war because it is an example of how everyone was involved and had to change for the war. Since their friends, family and husbands were at the war, women wanted to do something that felt like they were supporting them. Women weren’t used to such dirty jobs, and doing something that could potentially help the war, so their importance rose also.
Women’s Thoughts:
o Lots of women enjoyed helping out in the war, and feeling important because they felt they were doing something good. Some women called it a “liberating experience” because they felt important and their work felt useful to their country. Woman knew what they were doing was important, because it was supplying supplies for the war that the soldiers couldn’t live without. Some women kept their new work outside of their home life, but others didn’t because they were proud, excited and felt significant. They wanted to do anything they could do to from their point of view to end the war quickly. Although some women thought the change was exciting, others found the transition difficult since it wasn’t planned. It could be hard to do since their husbands were ordinary men that had to fight for the war, but have not planned to be soldiers Women didn’t know what they were getting into, and that they would have to do this since they were marrying men not soldiers, and also because the jobs they were doing were very dangerous.
Dangers of New Work:
o The danger of working in factories was obviously much higher than what women were used to. There were explosions that caused lots of deaths and fumes. For example absorbing TNT, a powerful explosive, through their skin turned some women yellow and hair orange and they could get very ill from it. Women were told that it wasn’t dangerous so they wouldn’t be scared. They saw for themselves that if their friends didn’t die from the fumes, they would be sick for a while, and therefore was very risky.
Examples of Important Women:
Importance to the War:
During the war, women took responsibility by working in dangerous factories or hospitals that were needed for the success of the war. Even though they weren’t directly at war, the women were still very much needed. Without the woman working hard at home, the people wouldn’t have had the supplies to fight, and without their help medically, more soldiers would have died. The weapons they were making were a necessity and something that the war couldn’t have lived without. The weapons they made allowed the war to adapt and grow. Although behind the scenes, without these brave women's complete change of life, the war couldn’t have gone on and would have been completely different, and much weaker.
The First World War was also very important for women’s rights. The war gave some women like Maria Bochkareva and Mabel Stobart the opportunity to do things that women had never done before. With women helping out more and more in medicine, dangerous factory jobs, and even in battle; it slowly but surely helped to change the world's perception of women.
Who: Women
What: Women changed lives and jobs changed, to work in factories that supplied the war
Where: Factories in their homelands and occasionaly on the battle front
When: During WWI
Importance: Women supplied the war with weapons used in battle, and without these weapons the war couldn’t have gone on and adapted. Also the war was a new step in women's rights.
Works Cited
Martin, Sara. "First World War.com - Feature Articles - Women and WWI." First World War.com - A multimedia history of World War One. 22 Mar. 2009 <http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_intro.htm>.
Wilson, Barbara. "Women in World War One ." AugLink Communications, Inc. . 22 Mar. 2009 <http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets4.html>.
"Total War." Pbs.org. 18 Mar. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/ch2_war.html>.
Braybon, Gail. "Women's Contribution to the War Effort." Pbs.org. 18 Mar. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/hist_braybon_01_women.html>.
"These women are doing their bit" picture: http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.aspx?CID=isg&mediauid={62C41A95-3E0D-43C9-AB3E-08F2859C7317}